Wire fabric



H. M. YOUNG AND J. P. REGAN.

WIRE FABRIC.

APPLICATION FILED SEPT. 17. 1918.

1,361,951. Patgnted De@. 4,1920.

#1471 1? Y N. Y0 U/VG NA/O - M M a o- UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

HARRY M. YOUNG AND JOHN P. REGAN, OF ST. LOUIS, MISSOURI, ASSIGNORS T0 WESTERN WIRE PRODUCTS COMPANY,

TION OF MISSOURI.

OF ST. LOUIS, MISSOURI, A CORPORA- WIRE FABRIC.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Dec. 14, 1920.-

Application filed September 17, 1918. Serial No. 254,440.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, HARRY M. YOUNG and JOHN P. REGAN, citizens of the United States, residing at' the city of St. Louis, State of Missouri, have jointly invented a certain new and useful Improvement in ire Fabrics, of which the following is a specification, reference being had to the accompanying drawing, forming a part thereof.

This invention relates to a certain new and useful improvement in wire fabrics, the chief object of our present invention being to provide a strong and durable flexible wire fabric that may be economically and inexpensively manufactured and is well adapted for spring-bed bottoms, fences, and the like, the fabric being composed of a plurality of interwoven links or units so shaped as to be free from undesirable distortion under load or strain and so interconnected as to be individually conveniently replaceable for purposes of repair.

With the above and other objects in view, our invention resides in certain novel features of form, construction, arrangement, and combination of parts, all as will herein after be described and afterward pointed out in the claims.

In the accompanying drawing,

Figure 1 is a broken plan View of a flexi ble wire fabric constructed in accordance with and embodying our invention in preferred form; and

. Figs. 2 and 3are enlarged perspective views of the individual links or units employed or comprised in the fabric illustrated in Fig. 1.

Referring more particularly to the said drawing, in which like reference characters refer to like parts throughout the several views, A. indicates the fabric as a whole, the body of which is composed or made up of a plurality of interwoven links or units B and C. The several links B and C are substantially identical in form and construction, except as hereinafter stated, and hence but one link or unit B will be here specifically described. 7

Each such link is made from a single piece or section of suitable wire bent upon itself intermediate, its ends to provide the longitudinals 1 and 2, which adjacent one end are coiled or twisted about each other, as at 3, and thereby fixed against relative disarrangement. Next the coiling or twisting 8,

the wire is extended laterally to provide T he limbs or longitudinals 1 and 2 may be of any suitable length, and at the end of the limb 1 opposite the eye f, the wire is bent bar-kwardly to provide an eye 5, which is disposed bodily in the vertical plane of the limb l and approximately at a right angle to the eye 4. The wire at the inner end of the eye 5 approximately engages the underneath side of the limb 1, and from thence the wire is bent laterally relatively to the limb 1 and preferably at an angle other than a right angle thereto to provide a cross or link-connecting arm 6 that is somewhat obliquely disposed to the limb 1, but which extends lengthwise substantially 0r approximately in the horizontal plane of the limb 1. At the outer or free end of the arm 6, the wire is again bent backwardly upon itself to provide eye 7, which stands approxi mately in the vertical plane of the arm 6 and which forms one terminal of the link.

In each link B, the wire at the end of the limb or longitudinal 2 opposite the eye 4: is bent backwardly upon itself to provide an eye 8 and there terminates the eye 8 being separate from, but a-lining substantially with the eye 5. In each link C, however, the wire at the end of the limb or longitudinal 2 opposite the eye a is first bent backwardly upon itself to provide an eye 8", then extended laterally and somewhat obliquely to provide a cross arm 6, and then at its free end again bent backwardly upon itself to provide a terminal eye 7, the eye 8, similarly alining substantially with the eye 5 and arm 6 and eye 7 being similar substantially in all respects to arm 6 and eye 7 before described. As seen especially in Figs. 2 and 3, the limbs 1 and 2 from their coil or twist 3 diverge but slightly and -might be described as extending substanthe remainder of the fabric.

finished fabric A, the eyes 7 of the outer disposed in longitudinal rows throughout And in the row of links B at said one side edge of the fabric are secured in suitable perforations or apertures 9 formed in a side-rail 10, the eyes 7 of the next adjacent row of links B engaging loosely, except at one longitudinal edge of the fabric, in the eyes 4 of the first row of links B, and so on throughout the width of the fabric to the side row of links 0, the eyes .7 of which are secured loosely in the eyes 4 of the last row of links B and the eyes 7 of which are likewise secured in suitable perforations 11 of a side-rail 12 companion to the rail 10. At one longitudinal end of the fabric, the eyes 7 of the several intermediate rows of links B, as well as the eyes 7 of the row of links C, are connected with the eyes 5 and 8 of the units or links of the preceding row, as seen particularly in Fig, 1, the limbs l and 2 of the several links B at said longitudinal end of the fabric being thereby conveniently held from distortion by relative lateral springing.

The units or links B of each row are connectedor interwoven lengthwise of the fabric by hooking the eyes 5 and 8 of the limbs '1 and 2 of one link with the eye l of the neXt link, and soon throughout each row, the several links C7 being. similarly conneeted or interwoven lengthwise of the fabric by hooking the eyes 5 and 8" of one link with the 'eye 4: of the next unit, and so on throughout the row of links C.

And at one longitudinal end of the fabric A, when employed in themanufacture of spring-beds, the eyes a of the several links ,:conveniently serve-to receive thehook end of suitable coil or helical springs 13, sub.- stantially similar springs disposed at the opposite longitudinal end of the tt'abric hav ing their hook-ends, with respect to the several emldinks B, interposed between the link eyes 5. and 8 and engaged around the connecting eyes 7, as shown, which eyes 7, at

said end of the fabric, are loosely engaged with both individual eyes of the links B of the next row of links. With respect to the ,end link C at said last-mentioned longitudinal end of the fabric, one such spring13 ,has its hook-end conveniently engaging both link-eyes 5 and 8, as shown, the limbs 1 and 2 of said end-link C being thereby also held from distortion by relative lateralspringing. It will be understood that, as isusual in spring beds and'the like, the several helical springs at each. longitudinal end of the fabric are connected with a suitable endra1l, not shown Such CO1lSpT1I1gS, or hellcals, 'as they are commonly called, provide I for longitudinal elasticity of the fabric. 7

Our new fabric is exceedingly strong and serviceable, and maybe economically and cheaply manufactured. The. fabric as, a

whole is subject to little, if any, distortion under loads or strains. The limbs l and 2 of the several links, as well as the eyes l, 5, and 8 of the links B and'the eyes l, 5, and 8 of the linksC', parallel the trend of longitudinal strains, and the several linkeyes 4 are trussed or protected by the coils or twists 3 from distortion by lateral strains. The eyes 4 also, throughout the greater part of the fabric, prevent lateral springing or distortion'of the limbs 1 and 2 of the several links, the limbs l and 2 or the links at one longitudinal end of the fabric being held from distortion by lateral springing, as before described. It will be observed further that any one link may be conveniently removed and replaced without disrupting the fabric as a whole.

lVe are aware that minor changes in the form, construction, arrangement, and combination of the several parts of our new wire fabric be made and substituted for those herein shown and described without departing from the nature and principle of our invention.

Having thus described our invention, what we claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is: r

. '7 1. In a wire fabric, a link composed of a single section of wire and by bending of the wire consisting integrally of a pair of longitudinal limbs twisted or coiled about each otherad acent, and jolned by asinglejterminal eye at, one end and formed with separate individual substantially alining eyes at 2. In a wire fabric, a link composed of a single section of wire and by bending of the wire consisting integrally of a pair of longitudinal limbs twisted or coiled about each other adjacent, and joined by'a single terminal eye at, one end andformed with separate individual substantially alining :eyes at their otherlend, oppositely-disposed linkconnecting cross-arms projecting obliquely laterallyof the limbs from the separate alin ing eyes and formed at their free endswith terminal eyes or hooks, the said single eye' being disposedhorizontally and the said separate eyes and the terminal eyes or hooks relatively to the planeof the fabric 3. As a new articleof manufacture,'a flexible wire, fabric including a plurality of connected or interwoven rows of links, each row of links comprising aplurality of links each composed of a s ngle sect on 'of'wrre and conr of the cross-arms being disposed vertically sisting integrally of a pair of lOIlgitudinal limbs twisted or coiled about each other adjacent, and joined by a single terminal eye at, one end and formed with separate individual substantially alining eyes at their other end, and a cross-arm projecting obliquely laterally of the limbs from the under side of one of the individual eyes and formed at its free end with a terminal eye or hook, the single eye being disposed approximately horizontally and the two separate eyes and the terminal eye or hook of the cross-arm being disposed approximately vertically relatively to the plane of the fabric, the two separate eyes of one link being connected to the single eye of the next link in the same row, and the cross-arm of the one link engaging loosely at its eye or hook with the sizr gle eye of a link in the next adjacent row.

4. A flexible wire fabric including a row of connected or interwoven links, each link being composed of a single section of wire and consisting integrally of a pair of longitudinal limbs twisted or coiled about each other adjacent, and joined by a single terminal eye at, one end and formed with separate individual substantially alining eyes at their other end, and oppositely disposed link-connecting cross-arms projecting obliquely laterally of the limbs from the two individual eyes and formed at their free ends with terminal eyes or hooks, the said single eye being disposed approximately horizontally and the two separate eyes and the terminal eyes or hooks of the cross-arms being disposed approximately vertically relatively to the plane of the fabric, the two separate eyes of one link being connected to the single eye of the next link in the row.

5. A flexible wire fabric including an end row of links, each link being composed of a single section of wire and consisting integrally of a pair of longitudinal approximately parallel limbs formed withindividual eyes at one end and a cross-arm projecting laterally of the limbs from the underside of one of said eyes and formed at its free end with a terminal eye or hook, the cross-arm of one link engaging loosely at its eye or hook with both individual eyes of an adjacent link.

In testimony whereof, we have signed our names to this specification.

HARRY M. YOUNG. JOHN P. REGAN. 

